


Easily

by chvsing



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bruno Majors vibe, F/F, Fluff, Nico is a cute drunk, Pride isn't evil, Romance, They all become good friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-04 03:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17296814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chvsing/pseuds/chvsing
Summary: Karolina and Nico meet after Nico’s old friends force them into a meet cute. Old friendships are rekindled and new ones spark.





	1. Chapter 1

**Karolina Dean has always been a good girl.**

 

At least while she was still under the watch of her mother and the church in which she was raised in to be the perfect poster girl. That is until high school comes to an end, and she is quick to move out of her home and into the dorms of her new university. After having her a not-so-teary goodbye with her mother (who insist she come along with her on moving day), Karolina let out a deep breath and couldn't hold back the cheeky grin that surfaced. Goodbye Gibborim, hello g... g- what's a synonym of rebellion that starts with the letter G?

"Was that your mum out there?" A voice spoke from the doorway and Karolina's head turned in the direction of their voice. A girl with bright, unruly purple hair that just reached her shoulders smiled awkwardly.  

 "Tall, freckles, strawberry blonde, fake smile...?"

 "That's the one."

 "Yeah, it was."

Karolina took no offence to what the stranger had just said, though her father is the actor of the family, her mother had no problem putting on a front to fool everybody. Hell, the only time she had ever really seen the famous Leslie Dean frown was behind closed doors to scold her for behaviour which would have otherwise been passed off as normal adolescent behaviour if not for the reputation their family had. She figured the reason why she was so desperate to leave home was for the freedom she was starved of when growing up. Karolina don't do that, Karolina don't wear this. 

 "Gert Yorkes." The girl extended her hand as a greeting. "Karolina Dean right? I see you everywhere.”

It turns out, Gert (short for yoghurt, she had decided, after some friendly banter over her full name) was her dorm mate and had come with her little sister Molly and boyfriend Chase who she learnt had moved in not too long ago. A few boxes were brought up by her boyfriend and pillows were brought up by her sister who argued with Chase about letting her help carry the boxes. She was relieved she wasn't stuck with one of those social recluse' for a dorm mate, at least she had already made a few friends today. 

She learnt that Gert was studying to be a vet and Chase to be an engineer over coffee at a coffee shop called Timely on campus, she was a little embarrassed to share that she was studying to be a journalist. A Bachelor of Science in Biology made her own dreams of writing for the biggest fashion journalism companies sound silly but she was quickly assured by Chase that it 'sounded cool'. He seemed to be the more carefree of the pair. 

 "So like Vogue? You’d be a great model!” He suggested.

 “What? She can have her own direction in life, she already said she wanted to be a journalist.”

At that point, Karolina had looked away with a small but rather amused smile. From the few short hours she had known them, she could already tell that Chase meant no harm by his words. Still, didn’t hurt to let Gert give him a piece of her mind. It seemed she always had something to say. Between the four of them at the table and the sounds of the rest of the cafe, her attention was grabbed by the sound of the door’s bell ringing as it was pushed open. 

A girl who looked to be no taller than 5’1 stepped in with looks that could kill... as in Karolina would kill to talk to her. The stranger’s makeup was as dark as overall appearance bar the dark red lipstick and the burgundy eyeshadow on her bottom lash line. A simple black dress, black stockings, black heeled boots that made her look taller than she really seemed to be, a black choker. 

Karolina’s eyes followed as the goth made her way to the counter and order something that wasn’t intelligible from where she sat. She paid with a card and walked to a dimly lit corner of the cafe, pulling a leather bound book from her black tote bag and a pen before she began to flip through her book as if trying to remember something. 

 “Do you know her?” Molly chimed up and Karolina instantly snapped out of her trance, just now realising that she had been staring at this stranger this would time. 

 “No, do you?” She asked nonchalantly as if she whatever that was from earlier hadn’t just happened.

 “Yeah I know her! We used to be friends then—.”

 “Right...” Gert interrupted and glanced over her shoulder to the girl. “Her parents own a big tech company, you might have seen the name ‘Minoru’ somewhere.”

 “Karolina was staring at her.” Molly teased lightly before the situation could get awkward, making the blonde gawk.

 “W-Who wouldn’t, she looks very... goth?”

Karolina wouldn’t have been so flustered if not for the fact that this particular group of people would be the first of many that she would come out to. Another pro for leaving the nest, no more having to bite her tongue in shame when her mother criticised the lgbtq+ community, calling them disgraceful. She was free to look at whoever the hell she wanted to. 

 “The politically correct term is _colour challenged_.” Chase smiles proudly as his joke earns him a scoff of a laugh from the rest of them. 

 “Suits her though. She used to dress normal before she graduated.” Molly sips from her milkshake.

 “Don’t alienate her Molls.” 

 “I’m just saying!”

————————————————————

Nico was painfully aware of the group who sat just metres away from her tiny hideout in Timely. They weren’t subtle at all, especially the familiar looking blonde one who seemed to glare her down as soon as she had stepped foot in the cafè. 

What the hell was her problem?

Still, she tried to ignore it, she was used to the judgemental stares but nothing much more than that. They seemed to be whispering about her, which was odd considering she had graduated with two of them. Gertrude Yorkes and Chase Stein. She managed to ignore them well enough, though their quiet whispers quickly turned into one of whisper-screams and the blonde, joined by Gert, lightly slapping Chase’s arm as he called over a waiter. 

Moments later, that same waiter approached her with her cup of coffee and a plate with a slice of cheesecake sat neatly on it. 

 “Sorry, I didn’t order this?” She enquired before the brown haired waiter could leave.

 “It’s from them—“ He sighed tiredly and pointed a thumb at the group.

Nico glanced their way, confusion replacing her usual stoic expression momentarily. Chase and Molly smiled warmly and offered a little wave whilst Gert seemed to be comforting the blonde. If she recalled correctly, they had stopped hanging out after at the start of junior year due to some complications that drove them apart. They were nothing more than old friends now.

 “R-Right, thank you.” She nodded and dismissed the waiter without ever looking up to him. 

She wasn’t much of a sweet tooth but she was very hungry and frankly, old friends seemed better than having none at all. The little friends she had left from highschool had all gone to different universities and as much as she tried to convince people that she didn’t care about or need anybody, the girl felt lonely once in a while.

Nico gently put her book down on the table and picked up a fork, cutting into the cake. From the corner of her eye, she saw Molly and Chase smiling smugly to the blonde.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry if my writing isn't very well polished, im a clown and usually write these things at midnight. enjoy! and thank you for those who left a kudos and comment <3

Karolina was confusing Gert with how flustered she really was from the situation. She would have settled with the 'shy' excuse but was suspicious when the heat in her cheeks didn't disappear that evening. Of course, Karolina being same-sex oriented wouldn't be an issue at all, she was just curious as to why she was so defensive of the matter. When their conversations the following days even hovered close to the topic of girls in that sense, Karolina would give half-assed responses. She chalked it up to her getting used to the open space. She assumed growing up around crazy church goers would be detrimental to an impressionable, curious young girl. Karolina herself was aware that Gert probably knew that she wasn't into guys, so she didn't know why she got so embarrassed when Gert had invited her to a party Chase and his friends were having and used the line 'there'll be a lot of pretty girls there!' to convince her. She had told Gert that even if there were, she wouldn't have gone for that reason but to keep her company instead.

And that's exactly how she came to be here, at her first frat party.

At first, she felt out of place, since her experiences with 'parties' were those held by her parents and weren't fun at all. There were hardly kids her age who she could have befriended. The only thing she could have done then was talk to creepy old men three times her age and eat the fancy little pastries they had been serving to the guests. The only fun party she could remember going to was Julie Powers' 17th birthday party which had been such an exciting experience for her she almost forgot her curfew and she distinctly remembered her mother giving her a judgemental stare as she entered their house 10 pm that night.

She could probably smell the alcohol on her. 

This was completely different though. Way more intense. Way more exciting. Karolina could see people passing around a _weed stick_ in one corner of the crowded living room of the frat house and on the makeshift dance floor (which was actually everywhere in the house, the middle of the living room just so happened to be where most of them flocked to) were boys and girls alike grinding their sweaty selves together to the beat of the music. 

Upon entering, Gert was whisked away immediately by Chase who gave her a pat on the shoulder and encouraged her to 'make friends'. That would be easy, but her sobered state was making it very hard. The harsh lights and loud music made it hard to even see anybody. 

She was able to pour a drink of her own in the kitchen after pushing her way through people to get to the second floor in hopes of finding an empty room she could stay in till Gert came looking for her or until all the 'fun' died down. She realised that as much as she wanted to dive deep into the college experience, maybe a full-blown party was too much. This was definitely not her scene. Up here there were only passed out drunks, half-sobers chatting on the couch and a few couples cozying up against each other in the hallways making out sloppily. Gross. 

Finding an empty room was easy, took only 3 tries. The first, she had accidentally walked in on three very naked people about to do the do, and the second was actually occupied by a group of girls comforting their crying friend on the bed. She quickly apologised both times and moved onto the third which was luckily, empty and untouched by the other partygoers. 

Actually, the room was so clean it was virtually empty bar the duffel bag sitting on the empty table. She hoped whoever's bag that is wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, she really needed a breather. Karolina sighed and sipped from the red solo cup quietly, thinking to herself, well tonight hasn't exactly been bad. Just... overwhelming? She was proud of herself for having even lasted this long and not being roofied or had anyone try to come onto her. Baby steps. Maybe next party she'll actually make a bigger effort to make friends.  

It had been all of five minutes when she heard a couple of pairs of feet stomping down the hallway. When she was sure they passed by the first and second bedroom which no doubt was locked now from her intrusions earlier, Karolina was acutely aware of the fact that she had left the door unlocked. Before she could even move from her spot on the bed, the door was quickly pushed open and a girl entered, slamming the door behind her quickly and locking it. 

 "Babe, open the door."

 "Go away Alex, I don't want to talk right now!" The raven-haired girl said and turned to press her back against the wall, eyes widening in surprise when met with Karolina's. 

It was Nico from the cafe. 

The two of them flinched when a loud thud sounded at the door probably from this guy’s angry fist, then only one person's footsteps walking off and fading into the muted thumping of the loud house music from downstairs. 

 "Hey... it's cheesecake girl." 

 "Excuse me?"

 "Yeah! Cheesecake girl-"

Ah, Karolina smiled when she realised that Nico was drunk just like everybody else. She should have been annoyed to be stuck in a room with a girl she'll potentially have to babysit, but she couldn't help feeling lucky that out of all the people here she could have walked in on her, Nico was the one. 

Still, the nickname was kind of embarrassing. 

 "Sorry, am I intruding? I'll find my own room." Nico fumbles for the door handle. 

 "No no, it's ok. I don't mind the company. Your boyfriend sounds like an asshole." Karolina stops her before she can leave, smiling kindly. 

 "Not my boyfriend, not anymore at least." She scoffs and clumsily walks over to Karolina and takes a seat next to her on the bed, their shoulders and arms brushing against each other. Nico eyes the almost empty solo cup Karolina was holding. "Can I...?"

  "Go ahead." Karolina watches with amused eyes as the girl slowly takes the cup from her and downs the rest of the whiskey in her cup. 

She was surprised, to say the least. Even though she was intoxicated, Karolina would never have thought someone with such an aberrant fashion sense and who seemed to be so closed off would be such a cute drunk. 

 "Want to talk about it?" Karolina presses. 

 "No. Actually... maybe I will. Just not now. I might say something stupid."

 "Like what?"

 "Like he's a garbage man who has trashy taste." So it's _that_ kind of boy trouble. Not like she'd know, her only experiences with boys had been cut off before it could get too serious. Too serious meaning the guys forming real feelings with her that she just could not reciprocate.

Thinking back to them now, she realised that the only reason she even entered those relationships was because her friends kept pestering her about it and the guys were usually persistent. Back then, she wasn't the type of person who could say no very easily. 

Karolina feels the heat rush to her cheeks when Nico sighs and rests her head against her shoulder, who begins spouting crazy suggestions. 

 "Let's go bust the windows of his car." Nico tries to get up but doesn't get too far, wrapping a hand around Karolina's wrists but frowns when the blonde doesn't budge.

 "Come on!" She whines and tugs.

Karolina only laughs and shakes her head, guiding Nico onto the bed and gently pushing her to lie down. She wasn't about to encourage any behaviour Nico might regret in the morning, but promises herself she would make sure she got the story on what happened between her and her (ex?) boyfriend tomorrow morning. 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda thinking of writing a teen wolf au or a spiderman au of runaways. because i love both!

When Nico wakes up the next morning, the hot summer's sun is streaming through the windows of the empty spacious room onto the plain white duvet. Her head is pounding. She sits up quickly after realising that first of all, she had gone to a party and had gotten wasted. Second, _this_ _isn't_   _her room_. Her hands skittered over the messy duvet in search of her phone as it wasn't on the nightstand, only for her arm to hit a lump in the sheets. Pillow. 

It took a while for her to rub the sleep from her eyes and gain her bearings, rubbing her head in a sorry attempt at soothing the pounding in her head. 

  "Need an aspirin?" 

Nico let out a cry of surprise and jumps out of bed, grabbing one of those soft pillows to cover herself. That's definitely not a pillow. The person in bed is... oh god. Memories from last night come flooding in and she lets out a soft groan. Showing up with Alex only to be separated from him, finding him with another girl on his lap, running off without letting Alex explain and ending up here, with the Dean girl. Okay, she doesn't know her first name yet. She's working on it. 

  "You! Why are you... did we?" Her black and white printed kimono was nowhere to be seen, the belt that went with her outfit was laying on the floor with her platform boots, and her shirt was half unbuttoned. Nico could see the other's face turning red. 

  "Huh... n-no," Dean sits up, Nico's eyes shoot down to her chest and torso only to immediately avert her gaze and hold the pillow up to cover the sight of the barely clothed girl. She was only wearing a bra and (hopefully) some pants though it was hard to tell, the bed's covers hid anything from the waist down. She could understand, it was fairly warm in the room as they were in the midst of summer. "You refused to sleep till you were comfortable last night, you almost threw a boot at my head. I guess it got a little warm."

Nico narrows her eyes at her as the blonde slides out of bed and bends over to pick up her shirt and throw it on, Nico is thankful. Not only does she feel a little insecure to have been in bed with a girl who looks like she could be on the next cover of Vogue, but she also feels a certain emotion or feeling she just can't place a finger on. Jealousy probably. She tosses the pillow onto their bed and does the same, putting on her platform boots and then picking the rest of her belongings up in silence and it remained that way till Dean slid open the window of the room and groaned. 

  "Gosh, it's like an oven out there." Nico mumbles. "I never really got your name?"

  "I could tell you, but I was starting to get used to 'Cheesecake Girl.', it's got a nice ring to it." _Oh god._ "But if you insist, it's Karolina."

  "Well Karolina, thank you for making sure I was okay last night." Now she just has to figure out how to get home, Alex was her ride. Speaking of Alex. When Nico picked up her phone which was under the pillow she slept on, there were several missed calls from her roommate and Alex. She groans when another call comes through and the caller ID 'Alex Wilder' pops up on screen and puts her phone in her back pocket. 

  "Do you want a ride back to the dorms?" Karolina offered and did her hair up in a high ponytail and Nico found herself staring at her bare neck for a moment too long.

  "I can walk, thanks."

 "In this heat? While you're wearing that?" She gestures to the clothes Nico wore with a raised brow, the corners of her lips turning upwards. Nico can't help but feel a little offended. 

  "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" 

  "Nothing... the dorms are just like a 20-minute walk from here and it's like 95 degrees out there."

  "Guess I'll die." That makes Karolina look at her with mock concern but she laughs anyway, a laugh that was so soft it almost made her smile herself. 

  "Come on, I'll hide you if your boyfriend is still around." 

Nico wanted to snap at her for even bringing it up but decided against it, she was the one who Nico came to last night. Karolina could have just as easily left her there, alone with her own thoughts and bad decision making. She nodded and threw her straight black hair into a bun as best as she could without looking into a mirror before following Karolina out of their room. 

The hallway leading to the stairs was quite clean compared to downstairs, which was a mess. They did run into a few boys who lived in the frat house trying to clean the mess and shake awake whoever was left sleeping. Among them were Chase and Gert who were going around with trash bags, picking up any cans or cups that were tossed. She watched awkwardly as Gert and Karolina exchanged a few words about last night, and how sorry Gert was for leaving her. Chase offered her a smile and Nico smiled back sheepishly. 

  "Alex told me to, tell you to call him." Chase started. "Didn't know you two were still together?"

  "It's not like that. It's complicated." Her shoulders sag and she rubbed the bridge of her nose, still trying to wake up. She did not want to talk about Alex right now. 

Their relationship was over complicated and frankly, toxic. After the death of her sister, she had turned to the only person who still insisted on being in her life and exploited him for his comfort. There was a spark in the beginning, or perhaps she was just confusing that spark with her need to fill the void she felt in her with some sort of emotional intimacy. Over the years, things grew bitter. There was a thick tension that grew between them; they didn't talk anymore, what used to be cute dates turned into nights spent on a couch watching a movie they had argued over that felt more like a chore than something to be enjoyed. They were just waiting for somebody to bring up the subject of breaking it off and yesterday night was the final straw. 

  "Riiight, so you and Karolina then? That was quick." Chase tried to change the subject, sensing that the topic would only piss off Nico. It was too early in the morning for that. No doubt was it also an attempt to lighten the mood, Chase had been somewhat of a brother to Nico before she completely closed herself off from most of her friends and family, he would always find a way to annoy her.

  "Don't be ridiculous. I just met her." She rolled her eyes and snuck a glance to Karolina. "She's driving me back to the dorms."

  "Oh! How nice of her, she's so sweet huh?" Nico only nods in agreement and lets her eyes wander. "Well... you should get back to her. Have fun, neeks." 

She visibly tenses at the old nickname and Chase lets out a chuckle, he knew she hated that nickname. Nico shuffles back to Karolina's side after thanking him for the party and gives Gert a tight-lipped smile (hoping it wouldn't come off as rude, she just really, _really_ needed her morning coffee) before they left. Her car was parked down the street under the shade of one of the big jacaranda trees which aligned the streets. It's a white Toyota Corolla with throw pillows in the backseat for whatever reason. 

  "What're you studying?" Karolina asks after a getting caught in some light traffic, not being able to stand the silence. 

  "Digital media." She replies quickly and almost instantly regrets it, she doesn't mean to come off as rude, so she adds; "It's the only thing creative my parents would allow."

  "Does it really matter what they do or don't allow? You don't have to major in it if you don't like it."

  "Don't get me wrong, I do. I just prefer this over computer engineering or some other lame shit." She snorts and leans her arm against the window of her seat, resting her head against it comfortably as well. 

  "Don't your parents basically run that Wizard company?" 

  "That's exactly why I hate it." Nico grins and glanced down to Karolina's phone which lies on the rubber mat on the dash. "It does have its perks though. If you ever need an upgrade, you know who to call."

  "Sounds like a good enough reason for me to have your number." The car pulls up into their parking lot and stops in an empty space near the entrance. Karolina turns the engine off and takes her phone from the dash, holding it out to her with a cute grin that makes Nico's heart thump faster. 

  


	4. Chapter 4

 

Karolina hardly saw anyone but Gert (and Chase, who would occasionally drop by their room unexpectedly to see his girlfriend) and friends she had made in her classes for the next few days. She had just been lucky to have been sitting next to them during lectures, her and a group of 3 other girls burst into laughter after Julie, one of the three girls, made a comment about the Professor and the titles of her slideshows, which was worded - not deliberately, Karolina was sure - to sound like the header of a Buzzfeed article. Afterwards, they had decided to exchange their Instagram handles and split ways, promising to save each other seats next time they had class as a whole. She knew for a fact that she had another class with Julie in Language and Linguistics every Tuesday and a class with Beth and Lara (whose names she kept forgetting for some odd reason) in Creative Writing which started this Thursday.

Still, the raven-haired goth plagued her thoughts, refusing to leave her be, distracting her at the most inconvenient of times. Something about the way she walked and talked was just so appealing to Karolina, it sounded weird to say it out loud to Gert or the others so she had always kept it to herself. Nico seemed to always look her best and it attracted the attention of many besides Karolina. She had been anticipating running into her at Timely or somewhere on campus, but it never did happen. She began to wonder if she even went to this university. How is it that it’s been a whole week and they haven’t run into each other at least once?

She was also aware that she hadn’t texted Nico, despite having her phone number and Gert attempting to coax her into sending the first text. She couldn’t! Although she was able to act all cool and suave in the car while getting her number, she was pretty sure Nico made it clear that the number was for Wizard related enquiries only.

_Right?_

The sun was beating down hard on campus today, the concrete pathways absorbing the rays and causing waves of heat to ripple just above the surface. Sweat dripped down her back and forehead uncomfortably, making her almost sheer, thin tank top stick to her back like the pages of a soggy newspaper. Karolina trudged across the field to cut her trip time to Timely short by a few minutes. When she finally arrived and pushed open the door, a gust of refreshing cold air from one of the air vents blew right onto her, making her sigh in relief. As usual, the timeless cafe’s usual customer base was present, occupying their usual spots. Today seemed busier than most, a group of boys she had seen around campus hogged the couches lazily in one corner, tapping away at their laptops and exchanging unintelligible words over cups of coffee. Studying or just escaping the heat, she wasn’t sure.

She walked up to the counter and greeted the guy behind the counter with her usual cheery tone, ordering an iced chocolate with whipped cream on top and a drizzle of chocolate sauce as well as a cheesecake before paying and walking off to find a table. She found herself coming here if not to that other more popular cafe down the street to go over her notes or just read up on material given in class. The atmosphere here at Timely was relaxing and Karolina felt calm as she sunk deep into the armchair in front of her bare table. Above and around her on the walls was a mosaic recreation of Michelangelo’s _‘The Creation Of Adam’_.

When her order was served, she ate and drank slowly whilst going over the notes she had scribbled down messily during her this morning’s lecture, attempting to piece together the information and make better sense of what exactly she had learned. Not even an hour had passed when the door ringed open and she hadn’t have even noticed if not for a guy behind the counter calling out to whoever had just entered.

  “Nicooooo.” The cashier dragged in a voice that ascended in pitch as he went on.

Her head snapped up to see if it was the Nico she knew and sure enough, there she was. Clad in black, ripped shorts and a costly looking, oversized maroon button-up which looked to have been messily tucked in. The top two or three buttons were undone, revealing collarbones and a plain black choker. Though Karolina’s style differed from hers, she couldn’t help but to be a tad jealous of how well she pulled it off.

  "Victor." Karolina barely heard her greet before ordering 'the usual'. She wasn't aware she had been staring, taking in the girl's pleasing aesthetic until Nico's eyes lazily scanned over the rest of the cafe and landed on her, meeting her gaze. A sheepish, shy smile came to Karolina's lips as she snapped out of her trance to wave before looking down at her papers, rubbing the nape of her neck. Her hands began moving to pack away her papers into her ring binder and slip that and her tablet into the tote bag she brought along, leaving just her glass and a crumpled muffin liner on the table.  
The surprise was evident on her face when Nico appeared before her, one hand holding an iced coffee.  
  "Hey you."   
  "Hey!" Karolina quickly stood up.  
  "Where you headed?"  
  "I was actually just getting tired of studying. I was thinking of going to the library. I've got a few books to return."  
  "Mind if I tag along...? Promise I'll be quiet." A corner of Nico's lips turned upwards in a smirk that almost made Karolina melt on the spot. Her eyes were trained on that smirk, on those lips that were painted in wine coloured lipstick. Shit.  
  "I wouldn't mind at all."  
The walk to the library was short, the sun had been (thankfully) hidden behind a big white cloud. Karolina figured she had to try her hardest to keep the conversation going because of how different they seemed in terms of looks, but she found that they had a lot in common. For starters, Nico was as big of a fan of art as Karolina was and wishes she could have travelled or at least have had a gap year, but was pushed into immediately pursuing higher education by her parents.

They entered the library and their conversations were put on pause as Karolina tried to navigate her way through the ground floor of the library. It was completely separate from the rest of campus and was a building of its own. Recently, it had been renovated to have a completely new look. The exterior looked more like the entrance to some fancy, modern art gallery than a library. The newly refurbished library even had a cafe opened next to it’s entrance in hopes of attracting more students. The building was four stories tall and besides endless rows of bookshelf after bookshelf, consisted of multiple study spaces and private rooms for students who wished to have group study sessions. Though the idea of studying in a group was appealing, Karolina reckoned she wouldn’t be able to get through hours of serious study with her friends in a serious environment. She would get mentally exhausted almost _immediately_.

  “What are you looking for anyways?” Nico’s arms crossed over her chest as she scanned the neatly filed rows of literature on the shelves for a moment, only to look back at her. It made Karolina nervous, she was a little afraid that Nico would get tired of her quickly. This was their first time hanging out and it was in a _fricking_ library. How much more boring could she get?

  “Plato. It’s an in depth study, kind of like a mini project thing…” She trailed off and gulped, eyes glued to a book by Sylvia Plath as Nico stood on her toes to take a peek at the top shelf, the one Karolina was currently scouring through for Plato’s _Republic._ Nico was so close she was practically just barely leaning up against Karolina who tried to keep it together. She was immediately hit with a dizzying whiff of her sweet smelling perfume and a hint of shampoo. Was it weird to say that she was attracted to her scent? Because she was.

  “Plato… Plato…” Nico’s fingers graced over the spines of the books till they finally landed on copies of the books by him, she pulled the first one she touched and it did end up being the one Karolina was searching for. “This one?”

It occurred to her that maybe, Nico was doing this on purpose. There was no way she couldn’t sense how flustered Karolina was, her cheeks were so red they were practically hibiscus’. Her suspicions were proven to be true when Nico turned to look at her with a smile, feigning innocence. Karolina’s heart hammered in her chest when Nico began leaning forward, her eyes darted downwards for a moment to see that she was still standing on the tip of her toes, making her grin down at Nico.

  “I just realised how short you are.” An unidentifiable look crosses Nico’s face as she pulled away, lips forming a tight line as the tables turned on her.

  “It gets worse, I’m wearing boots.” Nico scoffs and looks down. Karolina took the sudden switch in dominance to step forward, the tips of their shoes shuffling against each other as she trapped Nico with her back against the shelves by placing her hands on either side of her. “This is unfair. You’re freakishly tall.”

  “Yeah? Well, being tall isn’t all that glamorous.”

  “Are you just saying that to make me feel better about being an oompa loompa?” Karolina laughs.

  “Yes, I love being tall. Makes teasing short girls like you way easier. Also intimidates a lot of men.” She said sarcastically.

  “Is that a thing? Are you…. do you not like men?” Nico questioned curiously, her voice coming to a slight quiver as Karolina leaned in this time. She knew how perilous it was to be doing something like this (and Karolina wasn’t even sure what _this_ is), anybody could pass by. See them pressed against each other, staring intently into each other’s eyes as if seeking for some unspoken, mutual consent to go further.

  “I don’t _not_ like them?”

  “You know what I mean, Dean.”

   “That rhymes.” She snickered.

  “Karolina—“

  “Alright, yes, I like girls.”

Nico smiles, seemingly satisfied by the response and Karolina arches one of her brows. She grips the edges of the shelf her hands were pressed against to box Nico in as the girl cups her cheeks and leans up to press their lips together, catching Karolina completely off guard. Her eyes shut and it took her a moment to process what was really happening, Nico’s lip’s were soft and moving against her own confidently whilst the taller blonde began moving her own almost tentatively.

She didn’t stop to wonder if she might be using her as a rebound from her ex. God she hoped that won’t turn out to be the truth, because the feeling of Nico holding her jaw with both hands, pulling their bodies closer together and pushing her hips against Karolina’s felt so damn right.

Karolina felt a slight rush of adrenaline as Nico hummed against into their kiss and gently nibbled on her bottom lip, now deeply aware of what they were doing. _Where_ they were doing it. It was so deliciously exciting. 

When she pulled away for breath, Nico searched her eyes for any sort of doubt or disdain, but she only stared back with hazy eyes…. still trying to get over her initial shock.

  “I— uh…” Karolina started slowly and the heat rushed to Nico’s face.

  “I should’ve asked, I’m sor—“

  “Date?” Karolina took note of how the corner of Nico’s eyes crinkled when she smiled.

  “You’re funny, Dean.”

The shorter girl ducked underneath Karolina’s arm and bent down to pick up the book that she must have dropped for their little thing they did before with their lips. Oh right, the kiss. She hands Plato to Karolina and turns away from her.

  “Yes. This time, actually text me. Alright?” Karolina watches, starstruck, as Nico walks away, disappearing down the stairs to the first floor of the library (and presumably, to the main entrance) after she had exited their aisle. Crap. Shit. Karolina whips out her phone to frantically text her friends.


End file.
